Red Rover, Red Rover
by Heartwing
Summary: A new Red John case comes up and Lisbon is no where to be found. That is, until they discover the smile was made from her blood. But her body is missing and when she does turn up, there's some complications. Slight Jisbon. for now
1. The Car

**Note: This is my first Mentalist fanfic and I don't totally know where I'm going with this yet. ( Or what I'm even doing) and I didn't realize how short this chapter was until I uploaded it. I'll try to make the other ones longer.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Mentalist :(**

* * *

Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon was having a bad day. It was a bad end to a bad week. She and her team had just solved a rather gruesome case. There was a serial killer killing little kids. They were ripped open with an axe. Cases are always hard on everyone when they involve children. Lisbon and Jane were affected the most. After 6 children were murdered, they got a tip and rushed over to the warehouse where the murderer was. They were too late to save the little girl. Lisbon sighed as she remembered how it looked when they arrive.

_The woman stood over the little girl with a bloody axe. After the team ran in a saw the situation, they all froze for a second. But Lisbon was frozen longer. Cho and Rigsby were the ones who leapt forward to arrest the woman, Sara Mattick. Van Pelt was behind Lisbon and Jane was in the back. Sara turned on Rigsby with the knife and Van Pelt shot her. Lisbon was still frozen, her eyes wide even after Sara bled to death. Jane had walked up behind her and gently touched her shoulder before she was able to move. He asked if she was okay, but Lisbon lied and said yes. She knew Jane didn't believe her, but she was glad he didn't press._

She sighed in relief as she finished the report. It was late and she was more than ready to go home. There were only a few people left on her floor when she headed out. She waved goodbye to the janitor as she headed to the elevator. Even Patrick Jane was gone, and he usually didn't leave until she did. Lisbon was so exhausted, when she got into the car she didn't even notice her check engine light was on. It was a complete surprise to her when her car spluttered and died halfway home.

"Damn it!" She swore as she pulled over to the side of the road and cursed her luck. She pulled out her cell phone, but of course it was out of battery. Lisbon swore again. There was a gas station only a few short blocks back that she would be able to walk to. She didn't like it, the cop in her knowing it wasn't safe, but it wasn't like she had much choice. And now that it promised to be a long night, she really needed some coffee. Lisbon got out of her car, making sure to lock it. She wasn't in the worst part of town, but it definitely wasn't the nicest.

It was really quiet. Her paranoid cop instincts went off right away, but she couldn't tell why. Something didn't feel right. Then she heard the muffled scream that was quickly cut off. It came from the ally right ahead of her, so she took out her gun and ran toward it, her feet slapping against the pavement. She rounded the corner and stopped in horror. A woman lied on the ground, covered in blood that was still leaking from the deep cut in her chest.

She felt movement behind her, but before she could turn, something hit her on the back of the head. Hard. Lisbon's vision grayed and blurred, before going back. She hit the ground with a thud. She felt a sharp pain and warm liquid, then sank into oblivion.


	2. The Worry

**Haha! I have finally figured out how to add a new chapter! It took me a while...**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned it. But no...**

* * *

Patrick Jane frowned at the clock. It was unlike Lisbon to be even a few minutes late, but getting on a half hour was ridiculous. "Maybe someone should call her," he said to no one in particular from his couch.

"I just did," said Kimball Cho in his usual blunt manner. "There was no answer."

"I'm sure she has her reasons for not being here," softly muttered Grace Van Pelt, always the peacekeeper.

"She'll show up," Wayne Rigsby talked around the bagel in his mouth. "I'm sure its just traffic or something."

"Meanwhile we need to go over the details of the case," ordered Cho, who was the next senior agent and in charge when Lisbon was gone.

While they were finishing the reports, the tension and worry was rising in the room. Jane kept watching the elevator, Cho looked up at everyone who walked past, and Van Pelt and Rigsby kept glancing at each other.

"Where's Lisbon?" The team looked up to see Virgil Minelli, their boss, standing in the doorway looking a little annoyed. "Well?"

"Sir, we don't really know." Cho answered for them. "We haven't heard from her."

"Well… find her. I can't have an agent go missing. It's not good looking, you know." With that he turned and left. Jane rolled his eyes at Minelli's retreating form.

"Well duh."

The team had finished all their paperwork and had nothing to do. Lisbon was over an hour late, and they all knew it had to be more than traffic. Everyone was worried. Even Cho kept glancing over at the elevator with an anxious look on his face.

"So, umm, Cho-" Jane started.

"Yeah. I'll drive."

"Shotgun!"

Rigsby, as usual, looked really confused as everyone else got up. "What?"

Van Pelt smiled and rolled her eyes as she grabbed Rigsby's arm and hauled him up. "We're looking for Lisbon."

The team all piled into a CBS van, Jane having already claimed his seat. They decided that the only logical place to look was Lisbon's house. Van Pelt wasn't too happy about invading her privacy, but she knew there wasn't really a choice.

Jane knew the way to her house and told Cho when to turn. Other than that, the ride was completely silent. Not even Jane tried to lighten the mood. He was hoping that Lisbon got sick and forgot to call, but he knew it wasn't that simple.

When they arrived, her front door was locked. Cho knocked and rang the bell, but after a few minutes with no answer they gave up. Van Pelt pulled out her cell phone and once again, called Lisbon.

"No answer," She sighed, putting her phone back. "Now what?"

"Jane will pick her lock and we'll go in illegally," Cho told her. Jane grinned and pulled a paperclip out of his pocket. He took a second to unfold it, then stuck it in the lock.

The lock clicked and the door opened. "Ta-da!" The three agents took their guns out and went in, Jane following behind. Van Pelt flicked the lights on and the agents quickly spread out and checked the house. Jane stood by the door, hands in his pockets, listening to the doors opening and closing, with shouts of "Clear!" mixed in.

The agents all came back down, looking frustrated.

"Nothing," Rigsby told Jane. "No Lisbon, no sign of a break-in, no sign of a struggle. Nothing!"

Jane took a short stroll around the ground floor then told the team what he thought. "She never came home last night." He raised his hand, forestalling Rigsby's question. "Her cat's not fed and there's a basket of laundry on the table. There's no sign of her dinner and yesterday's mail is still on the floor by the slot." Patrick Jane paused, looking back at the rest of the team. "Something's happened to her."

Van Pelt looked worried, Rigsby looked angry, and Cho looked… like Cho. Jane walked over to the kitchen and carefully measured out food for the cat, who was winding around his ankles purring.

"Umm, Jane…" Started Van Pelt, sounding unsure of herself.

"It's okay. I've cat-sat for Lisbon before. I won't feed her too much."

"That's good," Cho cut in. "Because we all know how mad Lisbon would be if she came back and her cat was fat. I'm glad our main priority is covered."

Van Pelt, deciding to take back the conversation, was a little annoyed at them. "Well that's great, but where's Lisbon?"

"We'll go back to the office and you can trace her cell." Cho told her.

"You do that-I'll stay here and poke around a bit. See if I can get a psychic fix on her to see where she is."

"Jane, you're not psychic." Van Pelt reminded him.

"Meh, details." He waved at them with his hand.

Cho watched him for a second, considering, as Van Pelt and Rigsby left. "Fine," he allowed. "Just don't get into anything too personal. Even Lisbon's allowed to have some secrets." He turned to walk away. "And don't break anything. Give us a call when you're done."

What Jane really wanted was a chance to find out more about Lisbon. He wanted to know the secrets that Cho told him to leave alone. Every once in a while, he would catch a glimpse of deep sadness in her eyes. He wanted to know why that last case bothered her so much. He wanted to help her.

He slowly wandered around, looking at pictures and her CDs. He smiled, seeing her favorite Spice Girls CD on the self. Jane slowly walked into her office. He looked around, noticing how much neater it was then the rest of the house. He opened a drawer to see a picture frame that was face down. He picked it up and was more then surprised to see a younger Lisbon holding two babies. Boys, if the color of her blankets were anything to go by.

He jumped as his phone rang. "Yea?" he answered. It was Cho.

"Jane, Rigsby's coming to pick you up. We have a new case. It's Red John."


	3. The Shock

**Hey guys. I just want to say thanks for the reviews. I used to be like, They're just reviews, how can they make someone's day? But they do! I also forgot to mention a few things. One, I'm using Minelli instead of Hightower because I think he's easier to write, and he's funnier. Two, I decided that I was going to have Lisbon and Cho be close friends. They've known each other for a while (so I like to think), so it's only natural that he knows things about her that others don't. And last but not least, don't get too used to all these updates. School starts in 3 days.

* * *

**

After carefully putting the picture back in the drawer and petting the cat, Jane went out on the porch to wait for Rigsby. He stood completely still, with his hands in his pocket. He was trying to hide the fact they were twitching, like they did every time a Red John case came up. He was always so close, but not close enough.

Jane was pulled from his thoughts of Red John when Rigsby pulled up. He took a second to make sure Lisbon's door was locked before getting in the van.

"Where is it?" He asked, not having to explain what it was.

"Only a few blocks away," Rigsby told him as he pulled out into the road.

When they arrived in the alley, Jane jumped out to join the rest of the team, who were listening to that creepy guy from forensics who irked him so much.

"So here we have Gloria Stevens, aged 38, who was murdered Friday night between 11 and 2. She bled to death from multiple knife wounds, the most fatal from her stomach and chest." Jane moved away to look at the victim. The forensic guy finished talking to Cho, who joined Jane.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"Well, there'll be no DNA, no fingerprints, and no witnesses. But the victim seems to have lost a lot more blood then usual." Jane said in frustration, walking around her. "And look at this," he pointed at a splatter of blood, pleased his hands stopped shaking. "It doesn't look like this is from the victim. The way the splatter is shaped, it was from the other direction, away from her. Can we have forensics test it? It may be a third person's." Jane hoped it was. They might actually have a witness. Cho nodded and waved someone over.

Van Pelt came and joined them, followed by Rigsby. She had information on the victim. "Gloria Stevens has no living family that I can find, and her last known place of living was 4 years ago. So we've got nothing."

"Of course," Cho muttered.

* * *

That night, Jane went back to Lisbon's empty apartment. After all, he told himself, _someone_ has to look after her cat. Jane decided that he wasn't going to leave until they found Lisbon. He sat down on the couch and made a delightful discovery. Her couch was better than his at the CBI. Well, almost better.

* * *

"Hey," said Cho, walking into the bullpen the next morning with the case file in his hands. "Forensics got a hit. Huh. It's a little odd, really," he continued, reading the file for the first time. "The blood on the smiley face wasn't actually the victim's. It belongs to a-" He stared at the file in shock. "Teresa Lisbon"

Everyone stared in shock, not moving. CRASH! They all jumped as Jane dropped his tea, not caring when some splashed on the couch. The loud noise unfroze everyone. Jane sat back on his couch, head in his hand. Van Pelt started picking up the pieces of the teacup and saucer, and Rigsby went into the kitchen to get paper towel. Cho sighed and headed off to Minelli.

When Cho got back after talking to a very pissed Minelli, Jane was still on the couch and Van Pelt and Rigsby were sitting very close to each other. Cho sat down on his desk and dropped the file next to him. No one said anything or made any eye contact. It was Van Pelt who broke the silence.

"So, where is she?" Everyone looked up as she went on. "I mean, it's not like him. He'd be taunting us right now, especially Jane. Even if he did move…" She hesitated, not able to say 'Lisbon's body'. "…her, he'd still be playing mind games with us."

Even though Grace Van Pelt was no longer a rookie, Jane couldn't help but being a little surprised when she said things like that. She was smarter then he gave her credit for. "I don't know, Grace," he said slowly. "As much as I hate it, we have to wait for him." There was a look in Jane's eyes that scared the rest of his team. They were filled with venomous hate.

* * *

**I realize it's kind of short, but I had to cut it off there. You'll see why soon. The next chapter should get up soonish.**


	4. The Smile

**I know, it's short. But even still, it's one of my favorite chapters so far.**

* * *

He smiled. He couldn't believe how well it all turned out. The best part was, what almost happened, what almost resulted in a grievous error, was turned into something beautiful and fun. And Patrick Jane only found the beginning. He almost couldn't wait until they found their friend. Even though he was patient, he decided that if they took too long, he'd have to help them. Again. Red John slowly smiled.

* * *

**Muhahaha!**


	5. The Letter

**Hey, guys, sorry it took so long. School stuff. (and I've been too busy reading other stories) Thanks for all the reviews! They really make me happy. Season 2's out on DVD today! (yes, I've already got it) Can't wait for the new season to start! I'm so excited!**

**Hey, I didn't really like how this came out the first time, so I edited it.**

**Disclamer: No, I don't own the Mentalist. Yes, I would LOVE to.**

* * *

A few days later, and the team still had no leads, no sign of Lisbon. There was a dead end on Red John's latest victim as well. Gloria Stevens had no family, few close friends, and no boyfriend that they knew of. There were less leads then usual.

The agents stood around a table, looking at the things they brought from her house. It consisted of a journal, some cocaine, and a few pictures. There was nothing. Absolutly nothing.

"That's new," said Rigsby. "I don't think any of his other victims did drugs."

"Not only that," added Jane, "but she wasn't murdered in her home like most of the others. I think this was more of a crime of passion. Red John saw her, wanted her, and killed her. He might have been angry about something. The stab wounds look more violent then the others, even though they're still methodical."

"He wasn't careless, though." Cho was annoyed, and it actually started to show. "There's still no witnesses, fingerprints, DNA, nothing!"

Van Pelt just shook her head and sighed. She just wanted it all to end. She had showed people living near the site a picture of Lisbon, but none of them had recognized it. Lisbon's brothers hadn't heard from her and were shocked to find out she was missing. Everyone was worried.

Van Pelt's computer pinged, signaling a new message. Van Pelt walked over and sat down, typing on the keyboard. Rigsby was watching her when she suddenly grinned.

"Hey, Cho. The APB we put out worked. We got a hit on her car."

Cho grabbed the keys. "Great. Let's go."

* * *

"Her car is here?" Rigsby asked with surprise. "What would she be doing here late at night?" The team stood in the parking lot of a Red Cross blood donation center.

Cho just shrugged. He didn't care, as long as they found her. "Her car's over there." He pointed a little bit away, at the end of the lot. "Spread out and surround it. Be careful. Jane, stay here."

"What? Why?"

"It could be a trap." The team started shrugging on bullet-proof vests. Cho wasn't taking any chances, not with Red John.

"Cho. Red John has Lisbon. I'm not just going to sit here and wait." The two stubborn men almost seemed to have a stare down-Jane's bright blue eyes against Cho's darker ones.

After a moment's hesitation, Cho nodded. "Fine. Put on a vest and stay close to Rigsby."

The agents took out their guns and surrounded the car, staying on high alert the whole time. They didn't know if anyone was in or around the car, and Jane realized he didn't really enjoy craning his neck around to look for danger.

They checked under the car and in the windows, but there wasn't anyone.

"I don't see her!"

"Pop the trunk," Suggested Rigsby. Van Pelt did, but there wasn't anything in it but one of Lisbon's many guns.

"Nobody touch the door handles or the steering wheel. We might get prints," ordered Cho.

Jane disagreed. "Not if it was Red John. He's too careful."

Cho reached in the car and grabbed a piece of paper. "Check this out." The team crowded around to read it.

_Hello, Mister Jane. It's good to see you. I offer my congratulations on finding this, though even for you it wasn't that hard. _

_Don't worry about your friend. She's still alive; at least she was last I heard. I don't have her anymore, and neither do any of my employees. She might be alive now, but she's feeling a little under the weather. She could still yet die, and you would never find out. Wouldn't that be sad? She won't even die by my hand, though I so dearly want to. Though I might change my mind if she's feeling lonely..._

_Perhaps you can find her before its too late. If you know her well enough. She's in a place that scares her most. It's an... old childhood fear of hers. Good luck, Mister Jane, and please do hurry. Happy hunting. :)_

* * *

**Poor cho. With lisbon gone, he actually has to talk :P**


	6. The House

**Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long to update this. The next chapter will most likely take a while too. There's this really stupid budget project I have to do for school, and its the main reason why people don't graduate. So... I kinda have to do well on it. :(**

**I want to thank all those people who reviewed and alerted and favorited this :) Thanks guys. It really does mean alot.**

**If anyone one hasn't read my other story, you should :P**

**Disclaimer- If I owned and wrote the show or whater, there's no way it would be as popular as is it.**

* * *

"Exactly what it says," answered Jane, thinking out loud. "I know he's a crazy psychopathic killer, I think he's telling the truth. He's a showman. He wants credit for his work," Jane started to get into it. He was on a roll. "Red John likes bragging about what he does, likes people knowing it was him. The smiley face for his victims proves that. I believe that if he had Lisbon, or she was-" This was the first time Jane faltered a bit. He just couldn't say it. "-uh, you know. He would leave us clues or let us find her. He'd be taunting us. I think she's still alive."

"He did leave us a clue," Van Pelt pointed out. "But, Lisbon doesn't really talk to anyone about personal stuff. The place she fears most could be anywhere."

"And what about her car?" Rigsby added. "Why the blood bank? Was it just a random choice, or is there some significance?"

"That, I don't know," answered Jane. "Red John obviously has an obsession with blood, but if it's more than that, I don't know."

"Van Pelt, take the letter to Minelli. He was her mentor. He might have an idea," ordered Cho. He turned and quickly started typing on his computer. Van Pelt left to go find Minelli, taking the note with her. Rigsby looked at Cho, slightly confused, then turned toward Jane. Jane was lying on the couch, eyes closed. Rigsby just shrugged and started going through his email.

Not too much long later, Van Pelt came back. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at her expectantly.

"He has a few ideas," she shrugged. "But he wants to check them out and think about them first. He'll let us know tomorrow or the day after."

"We might not have that long," Jane said somberly.

"Then we'll check out my ideas today." Cho stood up with a piece of paper in his hand. "We can all go. There aren't enough of us to have someone on the desk."

Van Pelt smiled happily and grabbed her coat. Jane, as always, called shotgun. Cho wasn't too pleased about that. He didn't usually enjoy being Jane's baby-sitter.

"So, where are we?" asked Jane when Cho pulled up in front of a house in Oakland. It was nice enough, with clean windows and a slightly overrun garden.

"Lisbon's old house."

Everyone looked at Cho in surprise. Even Jane looked shocked.

"Here?" the disbelief was evident in Van Pelt's voice. The house wasn't in the best part of town. It wasn't exactly in the bad areas, but it was close to it.

"Yes. Here," said Cho as he got out of the van. Everybody quickly followed him.

"So, why are we here?" asked Rigsby. Jane said nothing, just watched them quietly.

"She grew up here after her mother died. She hated it." Cho started walking toward the house. Van Pelt opened her mouth to ask another question, but Cho cut in before she could start. "We don't have a warrant. Hopefully they'll let us in. If they don't, we have reason to believe somebody's in danger. Got it?"

The team nodded and started up the steps. The steps were old and wooden, and creaked when they stepped on them. Cho looked at Rigsby and Van Pelt to make sure they were ready. Jane moved towards the back and the rest put their hands on their gun. Cho knocked on the door and waited. They could hear a shuffling sound getting louder.

The door creaked open to reveal a little old man.. Jane glanced at Cho and they both thought the same thing- Lisbon was almost positively not here.

"Can I help you?" the old man asked.

"Sir, we're with the CBI," Cho flashed his badge. "May we come in?" The old man hesitated for a second, then moved aside to let them in. He led them into the living room, where an old lady was knitting. Jane smiled to himself at the cliché scene. An old man with a pipe on a recliner, an old lady knitting in a rocking chair, and an old cat sleeping on the rug by a fireplace, which was pretty useless in California.

"Is something wrong?" the lady asked, having heard them at the door.

Cho hesitated and looked at Jane, not really knowing what to say. Jane rescued him and stepped forward. "One of our colleagues has been kidnapped. Her kidnapper left us a note giving us a clue on where to find her, and we have reason to believe the note might have been telling us about your house."

"Kidnappers?" the old lady exclaimed. "Us, kidnap someone? Never!"

"Ma'am, would you allow us to have a quick look around your place, so we can eliminate it from our watch list?" asked Cho

"Of course," she said. "But please be careful. Some of my knick-knacks are breakable you know."

"We'll be careful," promised Cho.

Cho and Van Pelt started looking around inside the house, while Rigsby started outside. Jane stayed with the old couple, who offered him tea. He accepted.

Rigsby went around the back, heading to a shed in the yard. He could tell it hadn't been used in a while. The door was stuck to the frame. It took him almost all his weight to force the door open. It creaked inward, caused Rigsby to wince at the sound, which was a lot like fingernails on a chalk board. It hurt his teeth. After a quick sweep with his light and rapping on the floor, he decided there was nothing there but some mice. Rigsby yanked the door closed, creating that awful noise again, and headed to the garage. He was also very hungry.

Cho and Van Pelt also made quick work of their search. They just check every room and closet, knocking on the walls to make sure there weren't any hidden rooms. They quick checked the basement, and found nothing. Cho wasn't surprised or pleased.

Not much longer later, they were done searching, having found nothing. Jane thanked the couple for their time and left.

"So now what?" asked Rigsby, on their way back to the CBI headquarters.

"We go see what Minelli's come up with. If it's near by, we'll check today. If not, we'll go tomorrow. It's getting late. And Van Pelt, I want you to do a background check on that couple and any close relatives they have, just in case."

There was silence as everybody sat with their own thoughts. Rigsby's stomach rumbled loudly. Normally everyone would laugh, but today was too depressing. Rigsby did manage a smile when Cho pulled up to a Taco Bell.

"Cho, how did you know where Lisbon's house was?" Jane asked, back at CBI. Everyone else had already left, even Minelli. He was already gone when they got back. His secretary told them he had to go to a court case.

"Leave it alone, Jane." Cho sounded tired. He just wanted it to all be over.

"Cho." The tone of Jane's voice caused Cho to stop and turn. It held this commanding tone the Cho hadn't heard before.

"We lived in the same city and went to the same school. Some people in my gang had problems with drunken parents. I helped her and her brothers out sometimes when her dad got too drunk and too aggressive. That's all." Cho turned and went toward the elevator, leaving Jane alone on the couch with his thoughts. He never imagined that Lisbon was afraid of her own house. Just thinking of a young girl, afraid to go home, filled him with rage. He somehow drifted to sleep; unaware his hands were curled into tight fists.

* * *

**Don't you hate that chalkboard noise? I do.**

**_SPOILER!_ Wasn't that last episode great? And the end, when Jane kissed Hightower, I was like- 0_O OMG WOA**

**Reeevieeew! You know want tooooooo!**

**please?**


	7. The Voice

**Sorry it took so long. I've been busy and when I'm not, I read other FF instead. Sorry, sorry sorry! But here, this one is a little longer!**

**Unfortunately, there's not going to be a new episode next week. Stupid pilgrims...**

**Thanks to : In The Name, Jisbon4ever, Vanilla339, lysjelonken, and MJ2387 for reviewing :) Really appreciate it.**

**Disclaimer-No, I don't own. Yes, it's on my Christmas list.**

* * *

The second Virgil Minelli walked in his office the next morning, Jane appeared at his doorway. Minelli turned around and sighed. Jane just kept waiting, not saying a word.

"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what this whole thing even means. He said he doesn't have her, and if he's telling the truth and not just spewing a bunch of crap."

"He's telling the truth." Jane interrupted quickly. "He has to be, because if he's not-"

"She could be anywhere." Minelli finished for him. "Lisbon's very private-you know that. The only place that I can think of is visiting the family of a victim."

"Nothing else? No place that she hated going, something she complained about?" As he asked, Jane racked his head for ideas.

Minelli gave a deep sigh as he sank into his chair, thinking hard. His face lit up with slight hope. "Well, I doubt this is it, but she hated having to visit jail. She never said anything, but you could tell she disliked it. But if she was in there, we would have known."

Jane shook his head in agreement. "No. She would have called or something. We found her car at a blood bank…" he trailed off, thinking hard.

Minelli looked up again, catching Jane's attention. "I didn't think about it, cause it's hardly unusual, but what about the hospital? No one in law enforcement enjoys going there, but she hates it about as much as you do. I don't know about any childhood fears or anything."

Jane stood up and nodded. "Yes… maybe… That might be it!"

"Just make sure you find her. If you can't find her soon, I'm going to have to give it to Missing Persons. They know what they're doing. Find her quick, and there won't be a problem. The media has somehow gotten a whiff of this. They're going to have a field day with this. Damn vultures… Just make sure she's there!" Jane gave him a quick smile and headed to the bullpen.

After the rest of the team arrived, Jane ran the idea by them. They just sat still for a few minutes, thinking.

"But if she was at a hospital, wouldn't she have called us? Or at least it would be in her file?" asked Rigsby.

"Not if she was unconscious and unidentified." Cho told the team emotionless. "Minelli emailed me saying he was going to have Missing Persons start checking morgues. She may be dead."

Van Pelt gasped. "Don't say that! Lisbon's alive and fighting, I know it!"

Cho shrugged. He didn't care about false hope. "Check the hospitals"

Van Pelt got to work. She started looking for unidentified patients at hospitals near by.

"Eureka," she smiled, getting one hit. They were lucky; it was only a half hours drive away. Unfortunately, the file didn't have a description of the Jane Doe, but it was all they had to go on.

Cho walked up to the front desk and flashed his badge. "Ma'am, we're with the CBI. We're looking for a woman and we have reason to believe she is the unidentified patient here. What room is she in?"

The woman looked a little nervous, being questioned by Cho. "Umm, just- just a sec." She typed on her keyboard. "Uhh, yea, it says here she's in room 315. It's on the west wing." She pointed in that direction. Jane took off, with Van Pelt shortly behind.

The receptionist looked back at Cho. "Is there- is she one of your suspects?"

"No ma'am. She's not a threat. Just missing." Cho nodded at Rigsby and they headed out.

Jane ran partway to the room, but after almost running into two wheelchairs and hitting someone around the corner, he figured it would be safer to walk. Quickly. He rounded the corner and saw the room. His vision narrowed until all he could see was the door. Room 315. He looked inside, and froze.

It wasn't her. It was a blonde. Jane turned around towards Van Pelt, who just turned the corner. She stopped dead when she saw his face.

"Jane?"

He just shook his head. Van Pelt's face was full of confusion. She walked past him to look in the door and her shoulders slumped. When Cho and Rigsby arrived a minute later, she was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, looking down. Jane was standing towards the wall with his head resting against it. They didn't have to look in the room to know.

"Now what?" Van Pelt asked. Nobody answered. Rigsby stood still a moment, then took Lisbon's picture out of his pocket and started asking people if they saw her. Van Pelt and Cho looked at each other, shrugged, and did the same. Jane decided, after a minute, that he needed tea.

After getting his tea, he walked through the halls, casually looking in doors. He didn't really expect to see her, but he might glimpse something interesting. He wandered up and down the hallways before he saw something that almost made his heart stop-long dark hair. Jane walked slowly into the room before he realized it wasn't Lisbon. His shoulders sagged and he turned to leave the room.

He was in another wing when it happened again. He didn't want to be disappointed again so he turned and walked away. But the little voice in his head kept nagging at him. _What if it is her? What if is and you didn't know because you're too afraid to be a little disappointed? You're pathetic._

Jane sighed and told the voice to shut up. He turned and went back into that room. She was facing away from the door so he had to walk around the bed to see her face. He froze, and immediately thanked that stupid voice. It was her.

Her face was bruised and she had a bandage around her head. There was an IV drip in her arm. Her wrist had a cast around it and she was very pale.

"Oh, Lisbon. What happened to you?" Jane asked softly. Lisbon was sleeping, so she obviously didn't answer. Jane took out his cell phone a called Cho, who arrived minutes later, followed by Van Pelt and Rigsby.

Van Pelt and Rigsby held hands, Jane watched Lisbon sleep, and Cho talked to a doctor.

Cho brought them up to date on Lisbon. "They're keeping her in an induced coma for now. She was unconscious when she was brought in. Her head was bleeding and her wrist was broken. The doctor said she lost a lot of blood. They're going to bring her out of the coma in a few days."

"One thing I don't get," said Van Pelt. "Why didn't we know she was here?"

"She was registered under a different name. And she was never conscious, so the staff couldn't confirm it."

"What name?" asked Rigsby.

Cho looked at Jane. "Scarlet Johnson."

* * *

**DunDunDuuun!**

**I'll _try_ to update faster. No promises though :)**

**Revieeeeeeew!**


	8. The Nameless Chapter

**Sorry this took so long. this is going to be short, cause I don't have a ton of time. Thanks to all those who reviewed!**

**And this one is longer :)**

**Disclaimer- don't own it and all that stuff**

* * *

"Hey, Lisbon. It's time to wake up now. Please, Lisbon. There's people out here that miss you. We all miss you." Jane was sitting on the chair next to Lisbon's bed, holding her hand. He was quietly talking to her, intensely watching her face for any signs of life. Lisbon only breathed at a slow, steady rate.

Her mouth twitched. Barely, almost imperceptible, but it did. Jane's blue eyes filled with hope. Lisbon would have found it painful to watch, were she awake. It was false hope.

"Lisbon?" asked Jane, standing up a little to get a better view of her face. Her heartbeat changed a little, but it still went as slow as it did before.

"Oh, Lisbon. What happened to you?" asked Jane sadly, as he did every time he visited. As he watched her sleep, Jane thought about the medical report. He hadn't yet seen the full one, just a summary. But that was bad enough. She had multiple small, shallow knife cuts on the arms and legs and a broken left wrist. Two of her lower ribs, one on each side, had cracks in them. There was a head injury with slight internal bleeding, and possible brain damage, but not enough to show up on a brain scan. And she was in a coma.

Jane felt his hatred for Red John, already unbelievably strong, grow even more. Red John took everything important from him- first his family, and now Lisbon. Jane vowed again to hunt down Red John and kill him slowly, for all the lives he ruined, even if it was the last thing he ever did.

This was the third night he spent with Lisbon. He had charmed- not hypnotized- the hospital staff into letting him stay. Lisbon did need protection! He would have preferred to stay every night, but the team wouldn't let him, especially Van Pelt. Jane was positive that Cho stayed when he didn't. He was pretty sure that Rigsby and Van Pelt stayed sometimes too.

Jane sighed again, looking at Lisbon. If it weren't for the steady rise and falling of her chest, and the beeping of the heart monitor, she could almost appear to be dead.

Jane looked at his watch. He'd have to go to work now. Just because Lisbon was in the hospital, he didn't get to stop working. Or so Minelli said. He disagreed.

"Bye, Lisbon. Got to go to work now. I'm a little late, so I'll have to drive recklessly fast." Nothing. Damn. "I'd rather stay with you, but Minelli says that I'm a consultant and I need to consult. And anyways, I need to find Red John and kill him." Nothing. Again. "I'll come by after work, and then you'll wake up. I know I said that yesterday, but you really need to listen to me. Trust me, you'll feel better. And the longer you're here, the longer I'll stay in your house. That's where I'm staying now. Your cat needs someone to feed it. You have some very interesting stuff there, Lisbon. But don't worry. I'll leave as soon as you tell me to." Nothing. Again. Damn. "Please, Teresa."

Jane gave her one last look, stood up, then left.

"What do you mean, we're not working on Red John anymore?" Jane yelled. Minelli had just stopped in to ask about Lisbon when he dropped that bomb on them. "You can't do that, he's mine!"

"He's not yours, Jane. He was team's. If you can't remember that, I'll make the switch permanent. Sharon Dowling and her team are going to get it."

"But it's _our_ boss that's in the hospital!" argued Rigsby.

"Which is exactly why it got transferred. You're too invested in the case. You lost all objectivity, and Jane never had any to begin with. However, I am being nice here. Dowling's ordered to let you know about every development in the case. But there's no investigating on your own. They do it. Not you. You'll get it back when everything's back to normal. Understand?" Minelli looked right at Jane when he said that.

Jane scowled but didn't protest.

"Cho, you're in charge until Lisbon gets back on her feet. You all need to testify on that case from last week, so I suggest you prepare yourselves. The trial's in a few hours. And Jane, behave yourself, or I just might make that transfer permanent." With that, Minelli turned and left the bullpen.

"Well that's a cruel thing to bargain with," Jane muttered to Minelli's back.

"We could investigate better than Dowling any day," Rigsby complained loudly, "Even emotionally invested."

"I don't know why Minelli even bothered. Lisbon hates Dowling. She won't cooperate." Cho added. It was fairly common knowledge that Lisbon and Dowling couldn't stand each other. They butted heads all the time.

Jane nodded absently from his couch. His mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Lisbon as the rest of the team got back to work.

After a few minutes of rustling papers, tapping keyboards, and Rigsby crunching chips, Cho spoke up. "Minelli just emailed me. Our guy wants to plead guilty and make a deal. The prosecutor wants me to be there. If what the email says stays true, Jane you won't have to go to court. Lucky you." Jane smiled triumphantly as Cho left.

"That's not fair," Rigsby complained. "I don't want to go."

Van Pelt gave a small gasp, eyes wide at the computer.

"What?" Rigsby demanded. Jane sat up. He could tell by the look on Van Pelt's face that it was something big.

She glanced at Rigsby, then Jane, then quickly looked back down at her computer. She hesitated, not wanting to say what worried her.

"What is it, Grace?" Jane asked softly.

"The- Lisbon's full medical report just came in."

"What?" Rigsby asked again.

"Her toenails were painted in her own blood."

Jane hated traffic. No one ever went fast enough. After being stuck behind a slow student driver, Jane finally got to the hospital, were he was forced to waste even more time looking for a parking space. It only took a few minutes for a minivan to pull out, but to Jane, it took forever.

When Jane finally made it up to Lisbon's floor, he was more than impatient to see her. When the security guard outside her room stopped him, Jane got annoyed.

"Really, Phil? I just left this morning. You know me."

"Sorry Mr. Jane. It's the rule. ID, please."

Jane rolled his eyes as he showed his badge to Phil the security guard. When he got it back, he rushed to her side. He was pleased to notice that she was looking a little less pale. Maybe doctors had some use after all.

"Hey, Lisbon. I'm back." He sat down on the chair next to her bed and took her hand. "I'm a little earlier than usual. I skipped out. It's court day and they don't need me. Nothing to do but paperwork." He paused, wanting to see her familiar glare and the lecture about shirking his responsibilities. Jane couldn't take much more of this. He hated seeing his feisty boss so quiet and still. He stood up and walked over to the window. It had a wonderful view of the parking lot. He stayed there, tuning out the rest of the world and getting lost in the view. Because of that, he didn't notice when the rhythm of the heart monitor changed.

He did, however, notice the small, dry, croaking sound. Jane whipped around, confused at first, that quickly turned into evident joy. If he wasn't so eager to see her, he could have danced. Naked. In the rain. In the CBI parking lot.

"Lisbon!" he smiled, going over to her and taking her still limp hand. He was thrilled to see her bright green eyes blinking up at him.

"Wa-" she managed to get that out before it turned into a cough. Jane nodded, understanding her sound, and quickly got a cup and filled it with water. He helped her sit up a little and held the cup to her mouth. He hated her feeling so weak in his arms, though he was glad to be able to hold her.

"Easy, there. Not so fast," he gently chided her when she gulped down the water. "Take it easy, slow down."

"Thanks," she whispered as he put the cup back on the table and she laid back down.

"Anytime. I'm so glad you're awake. I- we were so worried about you." He grinned at her and was more than a little confused to see that she wasn't smiling back. It looked like she was lost and had no idea what he was talking about.

"Lisbon?" he asked, watching her eyes dart around the room before settling on him again. "Are you okay?"

"You- you're not my doctor." The way she said it made it sound more like a question.

"No?" What was she talking about?

"Uh, well then, who are you?"

* * *

**I was going to give you guys a preview of the next chapter, but I don't have time. Sorry!**

**The next one is farther along than the others have been, so it shouldn't take as long.**


	9. The Story

**Sorry it took so long guys! I really am! (Hides from angry mob)**

**I want to thank these people for reviewing: MJ2387, lysjelonken, A2Aholic, Toeta95, Jisbon4ever, In The Name, Mentalgal, and Anna. (If I missed anyone, sorry!)**

**And Sharon Dowling is based off this person I don't like... Kinda. It's more of a way for me vent my anger out on her without actually, venting on her. You know? But you'll see why Lisbon doesn't like her if you'd kindly keep reading. I wasn't planning on her. She just sorta jumped in. The story kinda turned around on me and changed my ideas. So now the title is just some some random phrase with red in it that makes no sense .**

**I've been thinking about making a series of Criminal Minds/Mentalist crossover oneshots, and was wondering if people would be interested in it...**

* * *

Patrick Jane stared at Teresa Lisbon in shock as her words sunk in_. _

No no no no. This cannot be happening. This has got to be a joke. I annoyed her too much, and now she's getting back at me.

That was it. Just a joke. Nothing more.

"Heh, very funny, Lisbon. You actually had me going there for a minute. Nice acting skills. Getting me back for the whole Rigsby thing, huh?"

Lisbon looked up at the strange blond man. He was looking at her expectantly, like she should know what he was talking about.

Lisbon didn't smile and tease him for falling for it. She just blinked, still confused. Jane started to become worried again. She wouldn't keep up the charade this long. Would she?

"I'm sorry, I- I don't know what you're talking about." Lisbon started to stammer and stumble over her words. "Should I know you? 'Cause I don't. I don't even know where I am."

"You- you're in the hospital. There was a, uh, a little accident. You really don't recognize me?" Jane didn't know what to say. He had dealt with victims that had amnesia, but never before with anyone he knew. Not anyone he was close to. Not like Lisbon. He sat next to her and put his arm around her, giving her support. She hesitated and stiffened a bit. He could tell he was making her nervous, so he took his arm off and smiled gently at her.

"Who are you?" She still looked scared.

"I'm Patrick Jane. We're colleagues and very good friends. We work for the CBI. You're the lead agent on our team."

"I am? That- that doesn't sound like me."

Doesn't sound like her? What is that supposed to mean? It is her. It's who she is

"It doesn't?"

"No," she hesitated, thinking hard. Her face scrunched up in that way Jane found so adorable. "I- I'm not really sure. I can't remember."

Jane just looked at her sadly. She was stunned by the raw emotion in his eyes he was unable to conceal. Sorrow, fear, terror, disappointment, and anger. She hoped the anger wasn't for her. It was scary.

"You don't know anything?"

"No. W- well kind of. Maybe." Lisbon sniffled a little bit, though it was hard with the oxygen tube in her nose. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears. "I know what things are, how to do them, and stuff like that. I can't re-remember anything. I d-don't recognize you or any of the names you said. I-I don't kn-know who I am." The tears started to trickle down silently. "Help me." The tears came stronger now.

Lisbon cried into his shoulder and Jane rubbed circles on her back.

"Come on, hon, you're okay. Don't cry. It'll be all right."

"No it won't." She sobbed harder, hiccupping some. "Why can't I remember anything?"

Jane held her close, rocking a bit with her. He tried not to let it show, but he was scared. Memory or no, Teresa Lisbon did not break down and cry in public. Ever.

"Shhh, shhhh. It's okay."He soothed her, pleased to see she was starting to calm down. That might have had less to do with him than the fact she was still tired and weak, but he didn't care why. Her hiccups slowed, then stopped. Jane thought he heard her whisper, "Help me," but he wasn't sure. A few seconds later, she stopped shaking and went completely still. Jane eased her off his shoulder to look at her face. She was asleep, with tearstains on her face. Jane gently laid her back down on the hospital bed, then attempted to untangle himself from all the cords. He stepped back and watched her for a minute and brushed her hair off her face.

"Damn damn damn," he swore quietly, not wanting to wake her again. Jane rubbed his face in his hands. He was tired and now he had a headache. He sat down on the hard hospital chair near her bed and leaned back. He figured-hoped, really- that it would be a while before she woke up again. She was still weak. Jane pulled his cell phone out and dialed Cho's number.

"Hey, Cho. Can you put me on speaker? I've got news. Thanks." Jane waited until the team was gathered around. "I've got good news. Lisbon's awake."

Van Pelt let out a squeal that even Jane could hear over the phone. Cho must have heard the "But" in his tone.

"What's the bad news?" Cho asked. That shut Van Pelt and Rigsby up quick.

"Well, Lisbon's a little…um…. Muddled about certain things."

"Muddled," Cho repeated. "Muddled about what?"

"Everything?" Jane tried.

"Jane," Cho said in his I'm-warning-you tone

"She- uh- she can't remember."

"Her attacker?" That was Rigsby now.

"Nope. She can't remember anything actually. I'm guessing she has amnesia."

Van Pelt gasped. "Does she even know who you are?"

Jane shook his head, though he knew nobody could see him. "No." He almost sounded defeated. "I had to tell her what her name was."

Other than Cho's muttered obscenity, the other line was quiet. Cho was the first to speak. "That's just great. Other than that, is she alright?"

"I think so. She's still weak. I haven't talked to the doctor yet though."

"I'll be there in an hour or so. I just need to finish this and update Minelli and Dowling. Make sure her doctor waits for me."

"Will do, Cho. See you soon."

"She won't like that," Rigsby commented after Cho hung up.

"Who, Dowling?" Van Pelt asked.

"Uh huh"

"I don't care if she likes it our not. Cho said as he was getting up. "She can shove it up her ass. And if she even thinks about complaining about Lisbon, I'll do it for her." He turned and went towards Minelli's office.

"Wow. They really don't like each other, do they?" Van Pelt asked Rigsby.

"No. They can't stand each other. It's worse with Lisbon."

"Why?" The animosity was there before Van Pelt joined the CBI.

"Dowling was bitter about Lisbon being promoted over her. She thought it was unfair because she's older and had seniority, even though Lisbon's a better agent. When Dowling got her own team, they had to work together on a case once. Dowling told Lisbon some wrong information because she wanted to get credit for the bust, Lisbon followed it and her team was led into a trap. One agent died there, and two had to be sent to the hospital. One died of complications. The other was Cho. So you can see why they hate each other."

Van Pelt gasped. "That's horrible! How is she still working here?"

"Lisbon had no proof that she did it on purpose." They both stopped as Cho came back in.

"What did Dowling say?" asked Rigsby.

"Haven't told her yet," Cho said.

"Speaking of the devil…" The team looked up to see Dowling walking towards them. Cho sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"Hello, Cho," Dowling greeted them.

"Dowling." Cho's voice was cold.

"I'm taking over Lisbon's case."

"So?"

"So I need all your paperwork and files on this case."

"When Van Pelt's done filling everything thing in, we'll send them over to you." Van Pelt looked at Rigsby, confused, but he just shrugged. She was almost always the first person done with the paperwork. Dowling eyed Cho for a minute, trying to stare him down. Cho, however, was the master at that and didn't even blink. After a minute, Dowling blinked and looked away.

"Hurry up." She snapped at Van Pelt. "I want those files today." She turned and walked off.

"Well isn't she just a bright ray of sunshine," Cho said after she was out of earshot. Rigsby snorted. "Van Pelt, I want you to make copies of the case files, just incase Dowling decides she doesn't want to share."

Van Pelt nodded and hurried off, leaving Cho and Rigsby sitting in silence. They just looked at each other for a minute before Rigsby spoke.

"Well this'll be fun."

* * *

** I've tried writing the next chapter, but I seem to be having creative issues. I know (for the most part) where I want this story to go, but I think I'm having difficulties getting there. Just so ya'll know.**


	10. The Confrontations

**I'm baaaack! That's right, Heartwing actually got off her lazy butt and updated!**

**So, sorry about the super super long wait. I've had a lot of things going on in my life. AP tests coming up, scholarships, essays, work (blech), school musical, and oh, I fell in love with this amazing guy only to later discover he's gay. So that kinda sucks for me. And while, of course, I have absolutely no problems with homosexuality, I wish he was straight. But oh well. How about I stop ranting and let you guys get on with the actual story. If you even read all of this. If you did, sorry. It's not all that important. Anyways...**

**I own nothing blah blah blah**

* * *

Jane watched Lisbon through the glass window. Her doctors made her talk with a psychologist at least once a day to try to help her regain her memory. So far, it hadn't been working. Jane had wanted to try hypnosis, but Cho forbid him. He didn't want Lisbon even more stressed and scared then she already was. And since Cho was her medical proxy and next-of-kin, he was in charge. That is, for as long as Jane decided to listen to him.

But for now, Jane was waiting for them to be done. He had an idea. Even if Lisbon didn't remember, maybe some of his questions would be answered. He patted the bag he had, thinking about its contents. Finally, the psychologist began finishing up. Jane intercepted her once she stepped into the hallway.

"How is she doing?"

"I really should discuss this with Agent Cho first."

"Dr. Rohm."

"Patrick Jane." She held his gaze evenly. Dr. Elisabeth Rohm was a cool, but stern woman. Being a psychologist, she wasn't easily fazed or distracted, the traits Jane took advantage of when trying to get his way.

"Doctor, please. She's my co-worker, my boss, my friend." Jane didn't like the begging he heard in his own voice. "And anyways, Cho told you that you could keep me informed."

"At my discretion, Mr. Jane." Elisabeth Rohm wanted to make sure that Jane understood. If she was to tell him anything, if, not when, but if, it was going to be her choice. It was her job to help Agent Teresa Lisbon, and she was not going to break her doctor-patient privilege.

"Please, . I just wanted to know how she's doing, not all her secrets."

Dr. Rohm sighed. "For the most part, she's able to retain short-term knowledge. It's not as strong as it should be, but it has been rapidly improving just over the last few days. Unfortunately, the long-term is different. She is still unable to recall anything from before she woke up from her coma. Including the attack.

"It is hard on her. She knows she's missing a lot and it's frustrating her. I can only help her to a certain degree, Mr. Jane, and you both must understand that. I can give her names and pictures of faces and places, but I cannot give her back her memories."

"How long will she be like this?"

"Until her memories return? It's impossible to say. I've known people who've woken up after a day, or even a few hours, and remembered most everything. I've known people who've lived for a decade before suddenly remembering. The body has amazing healing abilities, the head in particular. The healing of a brain is very difficult to predict. Memories can suddenly come back all at once, slowly one by one, or, I'm afraid to say, not at all. It is a real possibility and you must be prepared for it."

Jane nodded, already distracted by the thought of Lisbon. He gave the doctor a nod, then started to head for Lisbon's door. He stopped when she put her hand on his arm.

"Mr. Jane. You must understand that she doesn't remember anything. Whatever type of relationship you two had before is gone now. You'll have to regain her trust, which won't be easy. She has no past experience to base things off of. Whatever she thinks about you can and will change. Be gentle with her. Prepare for the worst, Mr. Jane, but hope for the best." She looked into his eyes, willing him to understand. Then, with a nod, she left.

Jane turned back to Lisbon's room. He took a deep breath, preparing himself, and pushed open the door.

Lisbon was sitting on the bed. She still wasn't allowed to get up without a nurse, though the bed was inclined. She turned her head and carefully watched him come in. They both studied each other in silence.

"Hello, Teresa," Jane said brightly with a smile. "How are you today?"

"Same as the past three days." Lisbon's voice was a little raspy.

Jane nodded, still smiling. He walked around the foot of her bed to the chair. Her eyes carefully followed him and she always looked a little wary of him. He hated it.

"Agent Dowling is coming by later to talk to you," He told her.

"Who?"

Jane hesitated. He really did not want to explain why the two agents didn't get along. "She's a coworker."

"Oh. How-how well do I know her? I mean…" Lisbon trailed off, not meeting Jane's eyes. Her hands nervously played with the blanket.

"You just know her casually. Not all that well."

Lisbon nodded, not looking reassured. She was easy to read in this state, not knowing that she normally tried to hide her thoughts from him. Jane wasn't going to be the one who told her. He liked knowing what she was feeling. Right now he could see that she hated relying on him for information.

"I brought you a photo album." He told her, changing the subject. "It's of our team. Grace Van Pelt made this a few months ago. She gave us all one for the holidays."

Lisbon took it from him and opened it up. Each picture had a label on it. Jane hoped something in it might jog her memory. He leaned closer to her so he could look at it too.

"That was on your birthday. You were mad at me because you thought I didn't get you anything, but it was actually being delivered. The look on your face when you saw the pony was priceless."

Lisbon smiled. "What happened to it?"

"It was a rental."

Lisbon looked up from her magazine at the knock on the door. She frowned when an unfamiliar blonde woman walked in. She tried to place her. She wasn't… what was her name? Van Pelt! No, Van Pelt was a redhead. This one was a fake blonde. She clearly wasn't a nurse or a doctor. Lisbon knew most of them, at least by sight, and anyways, Bleached Blondie wasn't dressed for it. She couldn't be the press or some random person because there was a security guard outside the door. At least, there was supposed to be one.

"Hi there," Bleached Blondie said.

"Hello." Lisbon was cautious.

"My name's Sharon Dowling. I work at the CBI as well. I'm here to take your statement regarding your attack." Agent Dowling smiled, but with her empty, beady little eyes and her creepy smile, Lisbon was reminded more of a crocodile than a servant of the law. Something was just off.

"I'm sorry, I don't really remember anything."

"I am going to do a cognitive interview with you."

"Umm," Lisbon already did one with her psychologist, and didn't want to do it again. She got the feeling, however, that Dowling wasn't asking her permission. Lisbon didn't want to get in trouble, so she'd just play along. "Alright, I guess."

"Wonderful. Now, you were driving back home from work. It was very late and you were tired. You ran low of gas."

Lisbon got a flash of… something.

"You ran out of gas. Your car stalled and died. You got out. It was dark and empty."

A flash came again, but this time it was an image of a back city street, empty except for a few animals and isolated pools of light from the streetlights. It was the kind of area where people don't see or hear anything. They don't let themselves.

"You got out of your car and started walking. Why?"

"I don't know."

"Anything?" Dowling pressed, her voice sharp. "Because if you're lying, you'll be in big trouble. We are looking for a serial killer. We can only protect you if you help us. You're the only person alive who saw his face."

"I'm-I'm in danger?"

"What do you think? You saw his face. _You are a threat ._He needs to kill you to keep his identity safe."

"But I don't remember anything!"

"Maybe so, but does he know that?"

Lisbon just stared, speechless.

Dowling smirked triumphantly. "Goodbye, Lisbon, and good luck."

Lisbon watched her leave, tears slowly dripping down her cheeks, turning into silent sobs that racked her body.

* * *

**Next chapter things get interesting. Jane finds out a secret from Lisbon's past that she never wanted anyone to find out. And it (hopefully) will be updated quicker than this last one.**

* * *

_**OMG did you guys hear about the upcoming episode? http:/www. thefutoncritic. com/news/2011/04/27/cbs-announces-may-finale-storylines-296101/20110427cbs01/  
(Get rid of spaces) I can't wait!  
**_


End file.
